What audio system do you have, or plan on getting?

Started by Bonehelm, May 24, 2007, 08:52:55 AM

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DavidW

Quote from: drogulus on June 13, 2022, 06:51:25 PM
None of the disk players on the market can play everything through the USB like an almost real Oppo can.

But streamers can play just about everything.  You're just looking in the wrong place.  Audiophile cd players are usually just very simple transports.  And streamers and dacs do everything under the Sun these days.

drogulus

Quote from: DavidW on June 14, 2022, 04:39:45 AM
But streamers can play just about everything.  You're just looking in the wrong place.  Audiophile cd players are usually just very simple transports.  And streamers and dacs do everything under the Sun these days.

     I use a single player for all audio/video files. I haven't found any streamer with a USB that can do that. When Oppo ceased production I did a search for a replacement. It's only recently that Zapitti came out with the Reavon players.
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greg

Quote from: DavidW on June 13, 2022, 05:17:41 AM
Reviews and measurements will help you out.  Unlike headphones, flat speakers sound flat and natural.  You usually want a flat frequency response.  Well... in your room.  When I talk about curves or graphs here, I'm talking about amplitude versus frequency, otherwise known as the frequency response curve.

A big part of it is how it sounds in your room.  You can buy a pair of bookshelves and they are small enough it would not be that difficult to return if you don't like them as they sound in your room.  But I will give you a cheat, which will help you sort it out.  And I'm assuming you're not going to treat your room in anyway.

1. If you can't move your speakers 3 feet away from the wall, the bass will be bloated.  That means that you want thin or brighter than neutral speakers to compensate.  That means when you look at a graph it is okay if the upper mids and treble are higher than the bass and lower mids.  But it would be terrible for the bass to be louder than the high frequencies.  Neutral speakers would sound overly warm and bloated.  Front facing bass ports are your friend here.  That is in the review look for "thin, bright, cold" or look at the graph and look for it to curve up when you read it left to right.

2. If you have lots of hardwood floor, glass windows, bare walls, not a lot of furniture it makes speakers overly bright.  In that case you would want darker speakers, the type that roll off the treble or with appropriate toe-in you achieve the same result.  In this case dark, warm speakers (elevated bass and reduced treble) are your friend.  If you have the case of #1 at the same time, you need to reduce the treble but not elevate the bass.  That is look in the review for the words "warm, dark, inviting" or look at the graph and look for it curve down when you read it left to right.

3. If you can position your speakers well, you have carpet or an area rug and paintings or panels or curtains in your room, not lots of hard surfaces that fails to dampen reflections... then congratulations you have a great room!  You should buy neutral speakers.  Look for the words "neutral, best, balanced" or a flat curve.

4. If you sit 2 m away or less, you need to look for good near field speakers.  If you sit 3 m away or more, you need far field.  Most reviews address the performance in both areas.

5. In small rooms bookshelves work fine, in large rooms think towers... but you can also go for bookshelves and add a subwoofer later.

So for example if your room was well furnished but you have to put the speakers up close to the wall, the Klipsch might look promising but it depends.  If you have to put the speakers close to the wall due to wife acceptance factor, yes.  If it is because your room is small then NO.  You don't put towers in a small room.

If you are in pursuit of high fidelity then you need to be open to room treatment, proper speaker placement and neutral speakers.  The intangibles like sound stage, detail, blackness etc. are strongly tied to getting the basics right.  It is just not nearly as easy to buy good speakers as it is to buy good headphones.  You have to be open to reading reviews and trial and error.  Else you could end up stuck with something that you don't like and don't use.

But that being said not everyone is going want to neurotically obsess over bass traps, acoustic panels, sitting positions etc.  If you're not a reviewer whatever.  But if you try to get speakers that have synergy with your room you could have a much better experience for the same money without becoming a neurotic audiophile.  If you buy from a store that sells audio gear they will have a good return policy and completely understand.  You don't have to stick with Amazon.
Thanks, this is helpful. I will have to take some time to think and will update.
The room is small and although it has laminate floors, I have just ordered two rugs to cover most of the room (just some cool dragon rugs  :P).
I will not be doing treatment... in my music studio, I have all of that, created my own acoustic panels, ordered bass traps separately, good studio monitors, etc.

But the acoustic panels cover the walls, and the purpose of my room is mostly to look good, display cool stuff on the walls like anime figurines and decorative stuff, and to just sit and read while listening to music. 
So there are limits... just something that sounds decent is desirable, doesn't have to be top of the line audiophile stuff.

I could spend much more than $1k if I wanted to, but I just really don't want to spend much more than that. Maybe if I found the perfect combo or something, like $1.5k. (just blame that on the fact that I am planning to buy good guitar amps soon which will be ~$4k, that will be painful lol).
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

DavidW

Cool plans Greg!  You'll have to keep us updated with your plans.

drogulus

     
Quote from: greg on June 12, 2022, 10:51:12 AM
I just finished setting up my surround sound system for my TV, but am trying to figure out what to do with my separate stereo system for listening to music.

What I'm lost on is what I should know/how to match a CD player (w/bluetooth) to speakers like these:

Klipsch Reference R-26FA Dolby Atmos Floorstanding Speakers, Black, Pair
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083GKTW4S/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

The CD player itself I'd like to not spend over $200 on... I preferably would get excellent standing speakers like these, but seems these are meant for receivers, and there is no matching CD player, so just confused how to match them.

edit: a little bit over $200, but considering this one:
Onkyo DXC390 6 Disc CD Changer,Black
https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-DXC390-Disc-CD-Changer/dp/B0000EZ1KK/ref=sr_1_15_mod_primary_new?crid=NQ0UZC6MTFBF&keywords=multi%2Bcd%2Bplayer&qid=1655060772&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=multi%2Bcd%2Bplayer%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-15&th=1

seems I need a receiver like this also:
Onkyo TX-8220 2 Home Audio Channel Stereo Receiver with Bluetooth,black
https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8220-Channel-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B075P831VY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2A2BGWMUCHC92&keywords=Onkyo+TX-8220+receiver&qid=1655061629&sprefix=onkyo+tx-8220+receiver%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1

and should be able to connect to those speakers, despite being a different brand.

     All speakers need an amp unless they are self-powered. A receiver is an amp. So whatever components you choose they will be player>amp (receiver)>speakers.

     The key consideration is:

     Is this amp good enough to power these speakers? With sensitive speakers you need less capability from the amp. With a very powerful amp sensitivity becomes less important as power goes up. I could reference impedance, too, but if you're only going to drive a single pair of 6-8 ohm speakers any decently powered amp will work.

     The Klipsch speakers are 97db/watt/meter. With the Onkyo they will play loud and clean, though I would be concerned about the treble being a bit overmuch. I prefer a speaker with no particular character. Some people find speakers like that dull.

     That's a good price for the speakers. They're discontinued, and the replacements are well over $1K.
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Fëanor

#1985
Quote from: 71 dB on June 13, 2022, 09:05:40 AM
A seller of front ends over-emphasizing the importance of front ends? How surprising!

Linn Sondek was founded 50 years ago! 10 years before CD format! Back then you had bad front ends. Now, four decades of digital audio one has to try really hard to find bad (digital) front ends. The bottlenecks of good sound today are:

1) Bad acoustics
2) Bad speakers
3) Bad speaker placement
4) Bad listening spot
5) Bad music production, mixing and mastering
6) Too low bitrate in compressed audio (e.g. 128 kbps mp3)

If you can avoid these problems, good sound quality is pretty much quaranteed.

I basically agree with all of it.  However the famous audiophile/skeptic, the late Peter Aczel, publisher of The Audio Critic, had a list of sound quality determinants for the home system.  It's well worth a read ... "Paste This in Your Hat".

Personally I think he underplay the role of amplifiers, preamps, and upstream components, but not by much.  Certainly for the person who is primarily a music lover and not particularly an audiophile, this is a great list.

Todd

Quote from: Fëanor on June 17, 2022, 06:05:38 AMI basically agree with all of it.  However the famous audiophile/skeptic, the late Peter Aczel, publisher of The Audio Critic, had a list of sound quality determinants for the home system.  It's well worth a read ... "Paste This in Your Hat".

Strictly speaking, the bit about how one has no control over cabling inside a speaker is not always true.  If one buys custom made speakers, which can start well under $2000/pair, then one can choose internal cabling.  One can also choose capacitors and inductors in the crossover in some cases.  That's not to say they make a difference.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Fëanor

Quote from: Todd on June 17, 2022, 06:39:17 AM
Strictly speaking, the bit about how one has no control over cabling inside a speaker is not always true.  If one buys custom made speakers, which can start well under $2000/pair, then one can choose internal cabling.  One can also choose capacitors and inductors in the crossover in some cases.  That's not to say they make a difference.

This is true and I've done it myself.

My DIY speaker builds have been few but the best, and my current main speakers, are a design from Zaph Audio ZRT (Zaph Revelator Towers).  Parts were from Madisound and Parts Express.


Todd

Quote from: Fëanor on June 17, 2022, 07:10:52 AMMy DIY speaker builds have been few but the best, and my current main speakers, are a design from Zaph Audio ZRT (Zaph Revelator Towers).  Parts were from Madisound and Parts Express.


I love the Zaph site.  That's where I did my driver research a decade ago to determine the main drivers I wanted in my speakers (Seas W16). 
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

drogulus


     I have one mp3. It's a Neil Young song that is otherwise available only on compromised media.
     

Quote from: greg on June 14, 2022, 06:58:42 PM
(just blame that on the fact that I am planning to buy good guitar amps soon which will be ~$4k, that will be painful lol).

     
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greg

Quote from: drogulus on June 17, 2022, 10:02:36 AM

Just metal stuff.
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (cabinet)= $1500
EVH 5150 amp = $1500
the new Mark Tremonti amp = $800

last time I checked, they are probably more expensive now.

(at least I finished my two pedalboards already  :P )
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

Todd



Been using the Dayton for a few days.  It's dandy.  Physical set up takes about thirty seconds.  (My only beef with the device is its short USB power cable, but I had a 1.5 meter cable on hand, and I could have lived with the stock one.)  The Hi-Fly app is fine.  One must press two more options than Amazon Music to get it running, but then its UI is better than Amazon's.  The app also supports TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Tidal, Napster, and Qobuz, and can add new ones.  Sonically, I cannot detect differences between it and ripped CDs.  $53 well spent.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya


drogulus

Quote from: greg on June 20, 2022, 06:55:21 PM

EVH 5150 amp = $1500


     The 50w heads are in that range. Would it be 6L6 or EL34?
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greg

Quote from: drogulus on June 21, 2022, 11:56:00 AM
     The 50w heads are in that range. Would it be 6L6 or EL34?
Got the 6L6. Was discounted at Guitar Center for $1000.
The Mesa Boogie Rectifier seems really hard to find nowadays, on a waiting list actually, might be another 1-2 months.
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

Mirror Image

Quote from: greg on July 13, 2022, 05:53:41 AM
Got the 6L6. Was discounted at Guitar Center for $1000.
The Mesa Boogie Rectifier seems really hard to find nowadays, on a waiting list actually, might be another 1-2 months.

Alright, I'm all for guitar nerd talk...8) I'm currently playing through this Kustom amplifier, Greg:



The Kustom KG100FX112 is a two-channel combo amp offering 100 watts of clear, classic tone perfect for a variety of musical styles. It's equipped with a single 12-in. Kustom speaker. In addition to its two channels (Rhythm and Lead), it includes onboard digital effects (reverb, delay and chorus). The KG100FX112 features a speaker out jack, allowing you to hook up an external cab. You can also jam to songs or practice silently thanks to its auxiliary in, and headphone out jacks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

And, honestly, it's one of the best amplifiers I've played through. It even gives my trusty Roland JC-40 a run for its money (and in many ways sounds even better than this amp). I'm still running a fairly large pedalboard --- the newest addition is an Electro-Harmonix Attack Decay, which I'm in love with. This is a fantastic pedal. I like effects that alter or mess with the actual attack on the guitar and this one does a great job. I also have a TC Electronic Crescendo that does a fine job of this as well, but the EHX is more versatile. But I won't be parting ways with my Boss volume pedal as I still like to manually control the volume and there's nothing like true volume swells.

greg

Huh, never heard of that brand, but also not an amp expert.
Actually will look into that Attack Decay later, sounds interesting. Trying to avoid buying more pedals, unless it's something I know I'd use plenty.
How'd you find out about the amp? Did some testing at Guitat Center?
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

drogulus

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Mirror Image

Quote from: greg on July 13, 2022, 09:35:52 AM
Huh, never heard of that brand, but also not an amp expert.
Actually will look into that Attack Decay later, sounds interesting. Trying to avoid buying more pedals, unless it's something I know I'd use plenty.
How'd you find out about the amp? Did some testing at Guitar Center?

I can't remember where I heard about Kustom amplifiers, but this was a purchase through Musicians' Friend. I read some various reviews and watched a demo and decided to just go for it.

By the way, I don't shop at Guitar Center and haven't been in one in probably 15 years or so. I have no desire to go back.

Mirror Image